04 March 2009

...gorilla mothers are capable of rearing their offspring pretty much through their own powers, but human mothers are not.

Human beings evolved as cooperative breeders... a reproductive strategy in which mothers are assisted by ...“allomothers,” individuals of either sex who help care for and feed the young.

Our capacity to cooperate in groups, to empathize with others and to wonder what others are thinking and feeling — ...probably arose in response to the selective pressures of being in a cooperatively breeding social group, and the need to trust and rely on others and be deemed trustworthy and reliable in turn. Babies became adorable and keen to make connections with every passing adult gaze. Mothers became willing to play pass the baby....

...Other anthropologists have made the startling discovery that children have entertainment value, and that among traditional cultures without television or Internet access, a bobble-headed baby is the best show in town.